Rock Hill, S.C. -- Winthrop opens up Big South Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 3 as it hosts Longwood at 6:30 p.m.
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WINTHROP (9-5, 0-0 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS (stats from 2022-23) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
10 |
Nick Johnson |
6-4 |
Sr. |
10.2 |
3.5 |
2.0 |
1.4 |
Back-to-back games in double-figures / Scored season-high 15 points at FSU / Dished out career-high 5 assists at Little Rock / Ranks 7th in the Big South in steals per game (1.4) / 1st on team in steals, 2nd in free throw attempts |
| G |
11 |
Kasen Harrison |
6-2 |
Sr.. |
10.4 |
3.3 |
4.1 |
1.4 |
Missed the last game / 23-24 Big South Preseason All-Conference / Passed 300 career assists (319) / 27 points away from 1,000 / Scored a career-high 26 points in final game of '22-23 |
| F |
12 |
K.J. Doucet |
6-7 |
Jr. |
13.6 |
4.1 |
1.6 |
0.6 |
Averaged 15.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg in the month of December (7 games) / In double-figures / Ranked 9th in the Big South in scoring average / Reached 1,000 career points in the game at Coastal |
| F |
33 |
Chase Claxton |
6-7 |
Sr. |
2.7 |
3.9 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
Reached 500 career rebounds after six boards at FSU / Played 100th career game last season and has played in 131 over career / Led team with 33 steals and 36 blocks in '22-23 |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Sr. |
12.2 |
4.4 |
0.6 |
0.6 |
Missed the last game / Posted 12th career 20-point game with 20 points at South Carolina / Became 27th Eagle to score 1,000 career points / '23-24 Big South Preseason All-Conference / '22-23 Big South All-Conference First Team / led team in scoring and rebounding in '22-23 |
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS LONGWOOD
- Winthrop and Longwood meet for the 24th time
- Eagles won the last meeting 76-74 and have a 17-6 lead in the all-time series
- Lancers have won three of the last four meetings while the Eagles have won six of the last nine
BIG SOUTH OPENERS
- Winthrop is 20-18 all-time in Big South openers, having won nine of the last 10
- Have won the last four Big South openers at home, with two of those coming against Longwood
WINTHROPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Ended a three-game skid with a 113-62 win over Toccoa Falls
- The 113th points are the 8th most the Eagles have scored in a single-game
- Finished December 4-3 making it the first time since the 2018-19 season the Eagles posted winning records in November and December
- Looking for a seventh straight home win
- Rank 2nd in the Big South Conference in three-point field goal percentage defense and defensive scoring at 67.9 ppg
- Have attempted 129 more free throws than opponents and have made (285) more than opponents have attempted (266)
- There are five players averaging double-figures, led by K.J. Doucet (13.6)
- Doucet surpassed 1,000 career points in his collegiate career in the game at Coastal
- Doucet is joined in double-figures by Kelton Talford (12.2), Kasen Harrison (10.4), Nick Johnson (10.2) and Alex Timmerman (10.1)
- Talford is averaging 17.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg over the last two games
- Talford reached 1,000 career points on Nov. 28 vs. Bob Jones
- Talford is now the 67th player in Big South history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds
- Harrison has dished out five or more assists in eight of the last 10 games
- In the win over Bob Jones the Eagles dished out 22 assists, the most in a single-game since they had 24 in an 83-54 win over High Point in 2021
- In the road win at Coastal Carolina the Eagles grabbed 28 offensive rebounds, the most since having 26 on Jan. 29, 2021 against UNC Asheville
- Entering the 2023-24 season the Eagles had the 31st best home winning percentage among Division I programs over the last 10 seasons
- Voted to finish third in the Big South Conference preseason poll, two votes behind Radford
- This marks the 1,390th game in program history and hold an all-time record of 787-602
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (232) since the 2012-13 season and the closest is Radford at 200
- Mark Prosser starts his third season as head coach of the Eagles (7th head coach in program history) and holds a 47-32 record over the first three seasons
- Prosser is coaching in his 198th career game and 169th at the NCAA D1 level
- Led the team to 23 wins, the most by a first-year head coach in program history
- Prosser tied Towson State's Terry Traux (1992-93) for the most conference wins by a first-year coach with 14
LOOKING BACK AT 2022-23
- Talford led the team in scoring and rebounding in 2022-23 as he earned First Team All-Conference honors
- McMahon was third on the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg and was second in three-point field goals made (73)
- Harrison became the team's starting point guard after six games and finished the season averaging 11.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 3.8 apg while shooting 48 percent from the floor
- Chase Claxton, who started all 29 games he played last year, also returns after setting career-highs in assists, blocks and steals
- Winthrop returns four starters, a core of reserves and transfers to round out this year's roster
- Highlighting the returners are Talford, Sin'Cere McMahon and Harrison who were all three Big South All-Conference preseason selections
- The Eagles have a veteran lineup with a large amount of experience, starting with the return of Micheal Anumba from injury (missed 2022-23 season) and over four years he played in 120 games with 117 starts
SEASON HONORS/AWARDS
- Noah Van Bibber (Big South Conference Freshman of the Week – Nov. 20)
- Came off the bench vs. Holy Cross and scored a career-high 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting
- Was 6-for-8 behind the arc and 4-for-4 at the foul line
- Finished the Rock Hill Classic averaging 12.7 ppg, 9-of-16 from three and a perfect 7-for-7 at the foul line
CAREER MILESTONES
- Chase Claxton
- Played in his 100th of his career last season and has 131 total
- Became the 20th member of the 500 rebound club, hauling in his 500th in the game at FSU
- Had two blocks at FSU and reached 100 in his career
- Now five steals away from 100 in career
- Kasen Harrison
- Approaching 1,000 career points (977)
- Against Queens he reached 300 career assists (319)
- In the final game of the 2022-23 season Harrison hit his 200th career free throw
- Kelton Talford
- Surpassed 500 career rebounds (553) vs. Drexel
- He is the 104th player in Big South Conference history to reach 500 career rebounds
- Reached 1,000 career points vs. Bob Jones and is now the 67th player in league history to join the 1,000/500 club
- Ranks 21st all-time in scoring at Winthrop (1,074) and 15th in total rebounds (553)
- Has 11 career double-doubles after his 20 points, 12 rebounds in the final game of 2022-23
- Sin'Cere McMahon
- Knocked down his 150th career three vs. Queens
- Now has 160 in his career, with 138 of those have come as an Eagle
- His 138 threes rank 13th on Winthrop's all-time list
- Became the 27th player in program history with 100 or more threes in a single-season
- Scored career-high 35 points at UNC Asheville, the 4th most by an Eagle in a conference road game
- Nick Johnson
- Sitting at 865 career points and is 19 rebounds away from 400
- Dished out his 100th career assist vs. Queens and seven steals away from 100
- Dished out a career-high five assists at Little Rock
- Alex Timmerman
- Moved past the 400 career rebound mark after hauling in five vs. Drexel and now has 465
- Played in his 100th career game on 12/22/23 at FSU
- Surpassed 100 career assists with three vs. Toccoa Falls
- K.J. Doucet
- Surpassed 1,000 career points after 22 points at Coastal Carolina and reached 1,100 vs. Toccoa Falls
- Approaching 400 career rebounds (361)
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ARE ON SALE
Fans can purchase single-game tickets for all home contests for the 2023-24 season by visiting
www.winthropeagles.com/basketballtickets or call the ticket office at (803) 323-2345.
25th ANNIVERSARY
This year celebrates the 25
th anniversary of the 1998-99 team that captured the first ever Big South Conference regular season championship and made the program's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Under the guidance of first-year head coach Gregg Marshall the Eagles posted an overall record of 21-8 and were 9-1 in the conference. Winthrop defeated second-seeded Radford 86-74 in the Big South title game and faced Auburn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. This team will be inducted into the Winthrop Hall of Fame as a Team of Distinction on Jan. 12, 2024. To purchase tickets,
click here.
TUNE IN TO THE EAGLES
Fans can listen to the games all season long on OTS Media of Rock Hill (94.3 FM), which is the flagship station for Winthrop Athletics. In addition, most games will simulcast on 730 ESPN Charlotte and AM 1450 WGNC Gastonia.
All home games as well as all Big South games home or away are available to watch through the Big South Network on ESPN+. To watch live Big South games on ESPN+, you need a subscriber. For more information how to subscribe,
click here.
UP NEXT
Eagles hit the road for back-to-back league matchups beginning with USC Upstate on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 4 p.m.
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop men's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@Winthrop_MBB), Instagram (@Winthrop_MBB) and Facebook (/WinthropMBB).
